Tax incentives for college students: Part 1
This article examines planning issues when a student is a young child whose parents are saving for college and when the student is a young adult paying for college.
Personal Financial Planning
Developing a solid approach to advising clients on Roth IRAs
Tax advisers should develop a profiling system for identifying clients who are best suited to take advantage of Roth IRAs now that eligibility to participate in this popular retirement investment vehicle has been significantly expanded over the past decade.
Taking CARES Act distributions from qualified plans
The IRS released guidance on how taxpayers can take coronavirus-related distributions from qualified retirement plans as authorized by the CARES Act.
Recovery rebates: Tax planning pitfalls and opportunities
The CARES Act enacted a recovery rebate tax credit to help individual taxpayers through the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This article discusses strategies to lower a taxpayer’s 2020 AGI to avoid a phaseout of the credit and other strategies for maximizing the credit a taxpayer receives.
IRS announces 2021 HSA limits
The IRS issued its annual inflation-adjusted contribution limits for contributions to health savings accounts permitted to participants in high-deductible health plans. Most of the amounts increased slightly over the 2020 amounts.
RIC shareholders can take Sec. 199A deduction for REIT dividends
The IRS issued final regulations allowing regulated investment companies (RICs) to report qualified real estate investment trust (REIT) dividends as Sec. 199A dividends to their shareholders.
Rollover relief for required minimum distributions
The IRS provides relief for taxpayers who had already taken required minimum distributions (RMDs) in 2020 before the CARES Act suspended the RMD requirement for 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on taxpayers and the stock market.
Guidance on how to take CARES Act distributions from qualified plans
The IRS released guidance on how taxpayers can take coronavirus-related distributions from qualified retirement plans as authorized by the CARES Act.
Qualified opportunity zone rules are relaxed
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS further postponed the 180-day deadline to invest in a qualified opportunity fund from July 15, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020, extended other deadlines, and relaxed some qualified investment rules.
Four financial planning opportunities to take advantage of in 2020
Advisers to high-net-worth clients should emphasize strategies that take advantage of lifetime gifting, charitable planning, and Roth accounts, as well as low interest rates and depressed asset values.
3 common misconceptions about defined benefit plans
There are choices in setting up a plan, and the plan sponsor should understand the advantages and disadvantages of different plan design choices.
HSA contribution limits increase for 2021
The IRS issued its annual inflation-adjusted contribution limits for contributions to health savings accounts permitted to participants in high-deductible health plans. Most of the amounts increased slightly over the 2020 amounts.
Inherited IRA strategies after the SECURE Act
This article discusses alternatives to the stretch IRA.
Social Security recipients will automatically receive stimulus payments
The IRS announced that Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefit recipients will not have to file a tax return to receive the $1,200 stimulus payment provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Final regulations govern QOZs
The IRS issued final regulations providing guidance on tax-favored investments in qualified opportunity zones (QOZs).
SECURE Act changes rules to encourage retirement savings
The act contains changes to existing law, mostly designed to encourage retirement savings and to make it easier for employers to offer retirement plans.
Private foundations and donor-advised funds: A new CPA best practice
An ‘outstanding practice’ combines personal financial planning with tax compliance to help clients maximize charitable deductions, provide solutions for difficult financial situations, avoid capital gains tax, and create a family legacy.
Seize the increased basic exclusion amount
Taxpayers can obtain unique benefits when it comes to gift and estate tax planning by using trusts and taking advantage of applicable valuation conventions.
Optimal choice of entity for the QBI deduction
The enactment of the Sec. 199A QBI deduction adds a new consideration to the form of entity analysis because the QBI deduction available to a business owner may vary depending on a business’s entity form. This article discusses the differences in calculating the QBI deduction for S corporations and LLCs in a variety of scenarios.
IRS proposes more regulations on payments in lieu of charitable deductions
The IRS issued additional rules on the treatment of deductions for charitable contributions in lieu of state and local taxes, an area in which it has already issued final regulations and other guidance.
